Sonatrach has discussed the possibility of returning to work in Libya, at Contract Areas 065 and 96/95.
The Algerian company hosted a delegation from Libya’s National Oil Corp. (NOC) on May 4. NOC chairman Mustafa Sanalla held talks with Sonatrach chairman Toufik Hakkar in Algiers.
Sonatrach’s SIPEX unit works in Libya’s Ghadames Basin.
NOC said Sonatrach could return to the two licences and complete its contracted obligations. The Libyan company noted improvements in security and stability.
Exploration drilling in the areas has been productive, NOC said, and development plans for production were discussed in detail.
Sonatrach subsidiaries focused on services gave presentations, on areas such as construction, drilling and development. The two sides also discussed training plans for welding and inspection.
Sanalla called for Sonatrach units to work on twinning programmes with their Libyan counterparts. The idea seems to have gone down well. The two companies agreed to form committees to reach memorandums of understanding (MoUs).
SIPEX won Area 95/96 in the 2007 bid round, with two Indian companies. They shot 2D and 3D seismic and drilled five wells successfully. The companies suspended work in May 2014 owing to insecurity.
Sonatrach and NOC signed an agreement in early 2018 on potential joint development of cross-border fields.